Game apparatus.



No. 787,161. PATENTED APR.11, 1905. E. FAHL.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1904. RENEWED MAR. 13.1905.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

PATENTED APR.11, 1905.

E. PAHL. GAME APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 16.1904. RENEWED MAR.13.1905.

2 SHEETSSHEBT 2.

Patented. April 11, 1905.

EUGENE FAI'IL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart 0t Letters Patent No. 787,161, dated April 11,1905.

Application filed May 16. 1904. Renewed March 13, 1905. Serial No.249,826.

Be it known that l, EUGENE Faun. a citizen of the United States, and aresidentof St. Louis, Missouri. have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in lame Apparatus, of which the following is aspecilicat-ion containing a full, clear. and xact(lCSCI'lPiIUILIHfercnce heiug had to the accompanying drawings. forminga part hereof.

.\Iy invention relates to an improved game apparatus: and it consists ofthe novel features herein shown. descrihed, and claimed.

In the drawings, I igure I is a perspective of a game apparatusemhodying lhe principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a Vertical centralsection. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional detail on the line 3 I of Fig.2. Fig. l is a perspective of one of the pins and the hase to which thepin is pivoted. Fig. 5 is a perspective of the pivoted lingers forsetting up the pins.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in the construction of my improvedgame apparatus I take the hlocks l3 and cut out half-circles from theirforward edges to form the semicircular faces T. Spacing-hlocks S areplaced hetweeu the hlocks I), the spacing-hlocks he ing of suhstantiallythe same form as the blocks l3 and having forwardly and downwardlyextending projections l). The hlocks (3 and S are arranged alternatelyand secured together with the curved semicircular faces I in alinement.\vardly from the hlocks, the surface of the hoard matching with thesemicircular faces 7, and side pieces 11 and 12 are placed one on eachside of the hlocks, and side pieces 13 and ll are placed one on eachside of the hoard in I alinement with the side pieces 11 and 12. Acushion 13 is mounted upon the forward end of the hoard I0. andlongitudinally-extcinling grooves II) and IT are formed at the junctionllat board It) extends fors of the side pieces 13 and ll with the hoard5 III. said grooves being in alinement with the two outer hlocks o. Thesemicircular faces T of said outer hloeks are cut away. as indicated hythe dotted lines 18, to match with the surfaces of the grooves. A tray191s attached lo the forward end of the hoard It) to receive the halls.The pins 20 are connected to the forward upper corners of the blocks (5by hinges 21, and wings 22 extend downwardly from the-pins in front ofthe upper ends of the semicircular faces 7. Felt cushions 23 are securedto the upper edges of the blocks (3, so that. when the pins fallhackwardly they will strike these cushions and the cushions will serveto deaden the sound. A hallleplate 21 is secured to the lower ends ofthe projections 9, said hatlle-plate reaching from the side piece ll tothe side piece I2 and extending hackwardly and downwardly. andguide-strips 25 and 26 are secured to the upper face of thehal'lle-plato ll: in the form of an inverted V. Small halls or marblesHare used in connection with my game apparatus, and the operator orplayer will take a hall, lay his hand upon the cushion l5, and shoot thehall hackwardly along the, hoard ll) in the same manner as marhles areshot. and the hall will roll along the hoard It) hackwardly and upwardlyand forwardly along the semicircular faces 7 and strike one or more ofthe wings 22, thereby tipping one or more, of the pins 20 hackwardly.The wings 22 are so close together that the halls cannot pass hetween;hut if one or more of the pins have fallen the hall may pass in thespace normally occupied by the fallen pin. After the hall strikes thewings it will fall upon the haflle-plate 21 and roll hackwardly alongone of the guides or 26 and then roll downwardly and forwardly along oneof the grooves 16 or IT.

The setting-up device is formed of wire and comprises lingers 2S, spacedaccurately apart to lit between the blocks 8 in front of the. blocks 6.and the ends 2%) and 31), extending through hearings in the side piecesII and IL A crank-arm 3i extends forwardly from the end 50, and a cord32 extends downwardly through a hearing-eye 3?, and then forwardlythrough guide-eyes ill and 35, and the ring 30, attached to the forwardend of the cord.

is in position at the front end of the apparatus, so that the player maymanually engage the ring and pull the cord, thereby depressing theforward end of the crank-arm 31, pressing the lingers 2b do\\"n\\'ardlyhetween the projections.), hringing the wings 22 downwardly to theirvertical positions, and setting the pins in their upright position.

The arm 37 extends backwardly from the end 30, and acounterbalancing-weight 38 is mounted upon the rear end of this arm andholds the fingers 28 normally in their horizontal positions, so that thepins may fall backwardly and the wings swing forwardly withoutobstruction.

My game apparatus partakes of the nature of a tenpin-alley; but it isconstructed upon a smaller scale, and the alley is so constructed thatthe balls must travel along a semicircular face before coming in contactwith the pins or with the wings which operate the pins.

I have provided means of returning the balls to the player and means ofsetting up the pins, and the essential details of construction arevlelry much diflerent from an ordinary tenpina ey.

IVhen the ball is discharged forwardly fromthe upper end of the curvedsurface, it will strike the baffle-plate, and as it rolls backwardlydown the baffle-plate it will be guided to one side or the other by theguide-strips, and as the ball passes from the bafHe-plate it will strikethe lower part of the curved surface and roll forwardly down the curvedsurface to one of the grooves 16 or 17, and in passing down this curvedsurface the ball will acquire momentum suflicient to return it to theforward end of the board. The returning of the ball to the player is oneof the most important features of my invention.

In terms my game apparatus comprises a ball-surface having a flat levelportion and having a curved portion extending upwardly from the rear endof the flat portion and discharging forwardly, a baffle-plate to catchthe ball from the upper part of the curved portion and discharge it backto the lower part and sides of the curved portion, grooves to conductthe ball back to the player, and side boards to hold the ball upon theball-surface.

I claim 1. In a game apparatus: a board; means forming a semicircularsurface leading upwardly and forwardly from the rear end of the board;and pins pivotally mounted, and having wings extending below the upperend of the semicircular surface; substantially as specified.

2. In a game apparatus: a board; a semicircular surface extendingupwardly and forwardly from the end of the board; a baffleplate in frontof and below the upper end of the semicircular surface; and pinspivotally mounted, with Wings extending below the upper end of thesemicircular surface; substantially as specified.

3. In a game apparatus: a board; a semicircular surface extendingupwardly from the rear end of the board; grooves extending along thesides of the board; a baffle-plate in front of and below the upper endof the semicircular surface; and guide-strips upon the bafile-plate;substantially as specified.

4. In a game apparatus: the rectangular block 6 having the semicircularforward faces 7; the spacing-blocks 8 between the blocks 6; theprojections 9 at the forward upper ends of the blocks 8; the pins 20pivoted to the upper forward corners of the blocks 6; and the Wings 22extending downwardly from the pins 20; substantially as specified.

5. In a game apparatus: the rectangular block 6 having the semicircularfaces 7; the spacing-blocks 8 between the blocks 6; the projections 9 atthe forward upper ends of the blocks 8; the pins 20 pivoted to the upperforward corners of the blocks 6; the wings 22 extending downwardly fromthe pins 20; the baffle-plate 24 attached to the projections 9; and theguide-strips 25 and 26 secured to the baffle-plate; substantially asspecified.

6. In a game apparatus: a ball-surface having a flat level portion, andhaving a curved portion extending upwardly from the rear end of the flatportion and discharging forwardly; a baffle-plate to catch the ball fromthe upper part of the curved portion and discharging it back to thelower part and sides of the curved portion; a groove upon each side ofthe ball-surface to conduct the ball back to the player; and side boardsto hold the ball upon the ball-surface; substantially as specified.

In testimony whercofI have signed my name to this specification inpresence of two subscribing witnesses.

EUGENE FAHL. Vitnesses:

E. E. LoNeAN, ALFRED A. EICKS.

